Perfectly Crunchy Chickpeas

Ohhhh boy! I think I’ve just found my new favourite snack. Whether it’s mid-morning, mid-afternoon, or mid-night, this is what I’ve been reaching for.

Perfectly crunchy chickpeas.

The first time I tried making crunchy chickpeas, a few of them turned out crunchy, but all the others ended up being dry on the outside and still soft on the inside. It was a sad, sad day. They were still tasty mind you, and I gobbled them all up anyways, but my need for a crunchy snack was very unsatisfied.

What could I have done wrong? I vigorously rubbed them with a towel to get them dry. I even spent a labor intensive half hour rubbing off their skins (which was definitely not needed to achieve the perfect crunchy chickpea). I tossed them in avocado oil before putting them in the ov–

Stop right there.

The secret to making chickpeas CRUNCHY is to roast them dry first. No oil (at least at the beginning); not even any salt because salt is water retentive. We want our crunchy chickpeas to expel as much water as possible!

Do this, and you’ll surely be rewarded with chickpeas that actually turn out crispy and crunchy and snack-attack worthy.

Chickpeas are quite high in fibre and plant protein. 10g of fibre and 14g of protein per cup, to be exact! What does this mean? They’ll leave you feeling satisfied longer. Consequently, it’s unlikely that you’ll be ransacking your cupboard for something to munch on half an hour down the road.

I love tossing cooked chickpeas into salads, adding them to soups and stews, and stuffing them into wraps for added nutrition and flavour. Sometimes though, you just need to have something crunchy and salty that you can shovel pop little by little into your mouth.

While they’re the perfect snack to keep on your desk, in your cupboard, and in your purse, they also make an excellent salad topper! *cough cough* Croutons, step aside, there’s a new crunch dimension in town.

I’m quite sensitive to seasonings, so a little bit goes a long way. I flavoured my chickpeas with a 1/4 tsp of pink himalayan salt and a 1/2 tsp of garlic powder, but feel free to increase the amount of salt and garlic to taste. Just be sure to increase spice amounts little by little.

Don’t limit yourself to just those two seasonings though. Let your creativity run free and experiment with all kinds of different flavours. Lemon zest and rosemary maybe? Adding some heat with chilli pepper? Perhaps a bit of turmeric? The possibilities are endless! However, spices should be added at the end of the roasting period because they burn and get all bitter if heated for too long.

Store your crunchy chickpeas in an airtight container. They’ll keep for 2 weeks… but they’ll probably be long eaten up by then!

If you make these crunchy chickpeas, let me know how they turn out by commenting below. Or share on Instagram using the hashtag #thehappinesskitchen. I’d love to see your creations and what flavours you use!

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Comments

Hi Kathy. You’ll still need to fully cook the chickpeas if you’re using dry chickpeas from a bag. Once you’ve got your chickpeas cooked, you can get to baking your chickpeas and making them nice and crunchy! (:

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Welcome to The Happiness Kitchen

Hi there! My name is Jasmin. I love creating bowls, plates, and jars of nutritious and delicious foods that make the body just as happy as the tastebuds. I also love my dog, playing piano, reading, any kind of outdoor activity, wilderness camping, and laughing (lots.) Read more→